BDO appoints Gurpal Ahluwalia new M&A Partner in London

BDO has appointed a new partner to its London office with immediate effect. The firm will hope surgical insight of former medical practitioner and ex-KPMG employee Gurpal Ahluwalia will help the firm advise its clients on M&A actions, amid a rapidly changing environment.

Geopolitical uncertainty and recent market stutters have done little to dent corporate optimism in earnings, credit availability, short-term market stability and equity valuations. Their optimism is reflected in continued divestment and acquisition interest, even while competition with private equity for targets heats up. Many have subsequently turned to acquisition strategies in pursuit of growth.

As corporates continue to weigh up the potential of merger and acquisition activity to avoid the effects of this process, the consulting firms who they will seek advice from are strengthening their M&A advisory offerings, to better cater to heightened demand. This trend was recently signified by Hampleton Partners’ appointment of Mike Woods, who will spearhead FinTech deals at the firm.

Now, BDO, the UK’s sixth largest professional services firm, has joined the clamour in the sector, by appointing a new partner to its M&A advisory team. Gurpal Ahluwalia has assumed the position in BDO’s London office with immediate effect. He will lead commercial due diligence for the firm in the healthcare and life sciences sectors and will also focus on growth strategy projects at the firm. 

Prior to his appointment at BDO, Ahluwalia spent almost four years in strategy at Big Four firm KPMG. Before that, he worked for MBB strategy consultancy Boston Consulting Group, spending three years in a similar position. Ahluwalia is also qualified as a doctor, and after graduating in 2002 he spent nine years specialising as a cardiothoracic surgeon within the NHS.

Commenting on his appointment, Ahluwalia said, “I have developed a strong consultancy skillset through exposure to a wide range of projects throughout my career. I am looking forward to working closely with the M&A team and bringing these skills to BDO.”

Paul Eagland, Managing Partner at BDO, said, “Gurpal is a welcome addition to our already strong M&A advisory team. His background in medicine will be invaluable when it comes to helping us grow our healthcare and life sciences offering.”

Recently, the accounting and advisory firm has also promoted 14 partners as part of its commitment to reward talent. According to Eagland, this demonstrates that the firm had a “great market position”, being “large enough to attract the very best specialists, yet small enough to be agile and responsive to help our clients succeed.”